Production of metal salts of organic acids such as carboxylic acids of 1-8 carbon atoms is an old and well-developed technology. The practice of simply contacting metal with an acid or an acid-containing solution has evolved over time into procedures in which promoters or accelerators are employed with the objective of improving acid-metal reactions and consequent metals dissolution. Metals in powder form have generally been used for the same purposes. Thus heretofore there was no way known to match the rate of dissolution of powdered metals with the same metals in massive form such as broken cathodes, chunks and chips so as to avoid the necessity for reducing the metals to powder form.